Random Things Most Folks Don't Know About Jackie Kennedy (13 items)

(#13) She Became A Very Successful Book Editor

Jackie began devouring books from a young age and some may say she was a born writer. It was her writing after all that earned her the coveted Vogue internship during her college years (regardless of the fact that she had to turn it down), and she returned to her literary roots after the death of her second husband, Aristotle Onassis, in 1975. She moved to New York City and began working as a consulting editor for Viking Press. Then, she moved on to Doubleday, where she spent the rest of her life as an associate editor. She died in 1994.
(#10) She Renovated The White House And Earned An Emmy Award

With the election won and a $50,000 budget in her pocket, Jackie Kennedy begin her mission of completely redesigning the White House.
She managed to breeze right through her budget in mere days; that, however, did not slow her massive renovation plans. She created the White House Historical Association, and, through this committee, she was able to acquire pieces of historical significance from private donors and museums for the White House.
She filled the White House with antiques and artifacts from historical figures such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Her handiwork was debuted in February of 1962 on CBS, where she gave Charles Collingwood a televised tour of the White House. This ended up earning her a special Emmy Award.
(#7) She Created The Camelot Image Of The Kennedy Administration

It was in an interview with Life Magazine that Onassis created the most potent element of the Kennedy legacy. She brought up her late husband’s belief that history was made by heroes and his great love for the legend of King Arthur. She went on to compare his administration to “Camelot.”
She told the reporter that JFK also enjoyed the soundtrack for the Camelot musical on Broadway. The lyrics were actually the work of a former classmate of Kennedy's at Harvard, Alan Jay Lerner. They often listened to it before bed, and, according to the former First Lady, the line that really resonated with JFK was, “Don’t ever let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was Camelot.”
Her powerful statement, “There will be great presidents again, but there will never be another Camelot” shaped the public memory of JFK and his administration, forever solidifying that aura of glamor the myth invokes.
(#9) Her Impeccable Style Was Used Against Her During The Campaign

Jackie Kennedy was both lauded and critiqued for her fashion sense in the 1960s. Her style was both classy and sensible, but she also had a real thing for pricey French couture. It wasn't the style or the cost that was cause for alarm, however; it was simply her taste for foreign designers over American ones that was called into question during the campaign.
It was Joseph Kennedy, her father-in-law, who came to the rescue and successfully revamped her image (literally) by finding her an American designer she clicked with – Oleg Cassini. So, Cassini became the First Lady’s “Secretary of Style” and designed over 300 of Onassis's most memorable outfits – the ones that sent women rushing out to get that signature “Jackie” look.
(#12) She Lived Every Celebrity’s Dream And Won A Lawsuit Against A Paparazzi Photographer

After her marriage to billionaire Aristotle Onassis in 1968, Jackie Kennedy became known as “Jackie O” and a constant target of the paparazzi – most notably, Ron Galella. The photographer devoted years of his life to following Jackie around, and, by 1973, she’d had enough. So she sued him for harassment and invasion of privacy and won. Galella wasn't allowed within 25 feet of Jackie or within 30 feet of her children, so he simply started carrying a tape measure around. She sued him a second time, and he finally left her alone in the 1980s.
(#6) She Was Full of Class And Sass And Got Sent To The Principal's Office Regularly

While Jackie was always described as a bright student, she was also known to misbehave quite often. A former teacher described her as, “a darling child, the prettiest little girl, very clever, very artistic, and full of the devil." Surprisingly, the woman who would become the model for American femininity in the 1960s got sent to the principal's office fairly frequently as a girl. She also once got a D on her report card in a class she was forced to miss quite frequently – because her bad behavior got her kicked out of the classroom.